FSU, which beat Clemson during the season and had a better record by one game, dropped another rung on the bowl ladder and will play Wisconsin on Dec. 27 in the Champs Sports Bowl at Orlando.

FSU fans began flooding message boards and the e-mail accounts of Gator Bowl officials and the media in protest late Tuesday, and it continued Wednesday. FSU athletic director Randy Spetman expressed sympathy.

"I understand how they're feeling," he said. "But I understand that the Gator Bowl committee had to decide which team would have brought the most support. Clemson fans will likely stay in Jacksonville, and many of our fans could drive there on the day of the game. They felt they had to go in that direction."

Spetman said the Gator Bowl's decision will not affect future regular-season FSU games in Jacksonville. The Seminoles played Alabama here in 2007 and Colorado in 2008.

"We'll judge those decisions on what's best for Florida State at the time," Spetman said. "I hope we come back to Jacksonville again, hopefully in the Gator Bowl."

Prominent area Florida State boosters seemed to understand the economic decision that went into inviting Clemson for a record ninth Gator Bowl. The past six Gator Bowls involving the Tigers have an average attendance of 74,000, including the record of 82,911 in 1989, and past economic-impact studies have shown that a sold-out Gator Bowl means around $17 million to the city for the week.

"Sure, I'm disappointed, but I have the deepest respect for [Gator Bowl Association president] Rick Catlett because he and the selection committee are trying to do what's right for the city," said Max Zahn, the Seminole Boosters membership director for the Jacksonville area.

Scott Warren, an area physician who played for the Seminoles from 1976-79, agreed that any disappointment had to be tempered with what was best for the entire area.

"It doesn't surprise me that they're making their decision based on financial reasons," Warren said. "I think FSU-Nebraska would be a better game, especially from a national interest, but I think the intent of the Gator Bowl was to get the best game for them from a business standpoint."

However, that didn't stop others from being annoyed by the decision.

"We had a better record than Clemson, and we beat them on the field," said Nancy Abel, president of the Clay County Seminole Booster Club. "It's certainly the Gator Bowl's option to take Clemson but it's very disappointing."

Clemson officials were as overjoyed as FSU fans were dismayed. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said the game would be a fitting reward for a team that rallied from a 3-4 start and the firing of former coach Tommy Bowden.

"It's a great tribute to the them," Swinney said during a news conference at Clemson. "With a 3-4 team, we could only dream about a New Year's Day bowl. For that to be a reality is a very special thing."

Selection committee chairperson Kelly Madden said the decision to invite Clemson over FSU wasn't made lightly.

"We have a very long and extensive selection committee meeting [Monday], and there were a lot of passionate opinions," Madden said. "Both would have been good choices."

As for the Tigers' opponent, Bob Burda, the Big 12 assistant commissioner for communications, said the conference would not allow its teams to be slotted to non-BCS bowls until Sunday, even though the BCS released Nebraska during a teleconference Tuesday.

"But we still have four teams not released by the BCS," Burda said of Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri and Texas Tech. "[Commissioner Don Beebe] feels its best that we wait until after our championship game [Saturday, between Oklahoma and Missouri]."